The last In Your House before WrestleMania XII kicks off with a somewhat infamous match - Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid in a Crybaby match where the loser will be infantilized after the match is over. I'm not sure if that was actually part of the stipulation, but it was expected coming in based on the promos (if I remember correctly). I was a bit disappointed by the commentary on this as Vince and Lawler, not a pair I enjoy listening to too much these days as I'm generally averse to sexual assaulters/rapists, as they didn't really play up the history of these two. Maybe they thought it'd be beating a dead horse by this point? I thought the action delivered, though, and the crowd was into things. Hall was never the most dynamic worker, but what he could do in the ring was tell a story and do "the little things" so well that they got a reaction (his right hands are still among the best ever). The worst part was Kid's reliance on the sleeper, which felt like it was done to fill up time, and Hall's selling wasn't very convincing. Unlike in modern WWE (or AEW or really anywhere in 2024), you rarely saw a much smaller opponent control a match against a larger Superstar in the WWE so while Waltman's offense is sharp, hard-hitting, and well-executed, he has to rely on restholds to wear down Razor that slow things down at times. Ramon eventually gets the win with not one, but two Razor's Edge powerbombs - a nifty false finish I didn't see coming. (3/5)
Next up - Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Duke "The Dumpster" Droese. I remember this feud vaguely, but not too much about it. The future Triple H, who was doing a rich Blue Blood gimmick, was frequently paired against hillbillies (Henry O. Godwinn) and "blue collar" workers like Droese at this point in his career. This match would've been decent if it had shaved off 4-5 minutes and just been a squash. Droese isn't terrible, but his mannerisms do come off as a bit arrogant and unlikeable, which is something that other reviewers have noted on Cagematch. Its almost like he thinks he has the crowd behind him, but doesn't? Shlocky finish as Droese, the babyface, grabs a weapon for no apparent reason and gets outsmarted by the heel. Not good, but not as bad as one might think - just kinda awkward because the crowd wasn't really behind the babyface and the match was structured with an extended babyface "shine" that made him look like a cocky asshole instead of a fan favorite. If anything, Triple H showing resilience and craftiness made him come off as the hero. (2/5)
Freshly-turned babyface Yokozuna took on former stablemate The British Bulldog in the next match. This turned into more of an angle than anything. Yoko was HUUUUUUUGE by this point and Bulldog had no momentum coming into (or out of) this match, which is a shame because he could've used the clean W to get him heated up for the post-Mania feud with Shawn Michaels. Anyway...not very good and we don't even get what should've been an obligatory bodyslam spot. Yoko's offense looked good, but he was incapable of doing a real 10-minute bout. The interference finish after just 5 minutes leads to Vader showing up and the heels handcuffing Yoko and beating down on him until refs show up to stop it. I would've liked the commentary team mentioning that, because Yoko was a rulebreaking, dominant villain for so long, nobody is going to come out and help him, but neither Lawler or Vince explain that. (1.5/5)
After a video package detailing their feud - but mostly focused on Shawn Michaels' tragedies and triumphs over the previous few months - it's time for the Heartbreak Kid to take on Owen Hart in a match where his number one contendership (a word that may or may not a word) is on the line. There was little doubt that Michaels would win here as Michaels was in the midst of a massive push. Before the match, Michaels dances on top of the In Your House house and then swings down from it like Tarzan. I was shocked to see this match get 4-stars from Dave Meltzer, but, then again, it was rather slim pickings in WWE and WCW when it came to quality main events so this was probably considered "great" for the time but wouldn't be today. Maybe its because I just re-watched Owen/Bret from WrestleMania X not too long ago, but this match didn't "click" with me (no pun intended). Shawn comes out with some fire, launching himself onto Owen on the outside within the first few minutes, but then it feels like "The Owen Show" and Shawn spends a ton of the match selling a variety of submissions - none of which target Shawn's head, which was the major injury that their feud was based on. There's a great spot where Shawn tries another crossbody off the apron and Owen catches him with a powerslam, but a not-so-great spot later on where Shawn attempts a vertical suplex to the floor and Owen lands awkwardly on his feet. Owen finally hits an enziguiri that sends Shawn to the outside, but then arrogantly brings him back inside the ring for a pin (eventhough a count-out win would be sufficient in getting a title shot at WrestleMania). I know heels are supposed to be cocky and greedy, but Owen was also never above taking a DQ or count-out victory so I didn't love the psychology there. Shawn kicks out and goes into his babyface finishing stretch - yawn. I'm not knocking Shawn here because every main event guy in WWE history had this sort of comeback series in their arsenal since it got over when Hogan did it, but it's still kinda blatant. Shawn misses his first Sweet Chin Music attempt but catches Owen with the second and this one is over. Also, if you've seen any Shawn match from this babyface run, you'll know that Vince's lavish praise for him is really, really hard to listen to after awhile. No wonder the older adult male audience turned on him by the end of his title reign as there was only so much fans could take of listening to Vince's over-the-top reactions to every little thing "Mr. Charisma" did (that nickname didn't take). (3.5/5)
Before the next bout, Interim WWE President "Rowdy" Roddy Piper comes out and announces that Shawn Michaels is officially the number one contender for the WWE Championship and will challenge the winner of tonight's main event at WrestleMania XII. He then turns his attention onto the Yokozuna/Vader feud, which draws out Jim Cornette. I understand why Vader himself doesn't show up; if you have him go face-to-face with Piper, who won't back down and will obliterate him on the mic, but not viciously attack him, Vader looks like he's been "tamed." On the other hand, if you have Vader come out and attack Piper, you're basically setting the stage for a match that I don't think Vince was interested in booking in the short or longterm. Anyway, Piper is solid in this segment, lots of energy, and he gets in a good line about Michael Jackson.
Main event time - Diesel challenging Bret Hart for the WWE World Championship in a cage match. This match is not nearly as good as some of the ones they had before it. Its a battle between two unmotivated, disinterested veterans and it shows. Bret saw the writing on the wall - it was impossible to miss - that Shawn Michaels was going to be winning the World Championship at Mania and was, as he wrote in his book, not necessarily sure about his future in the WWF (he had landed an acting gig on the Lonesome Dove TV series) and seemingly didn't feel like delivering anything creative here. Nash also had one foot out the door or at least eyeing it (he would jump ship to WCW in the summer and kickstart the hottest boom period in wrestling since Hulkamania as a founding member of the nWo). The crowd is not into this at all, which is surprising. Diesel is working as a heel, but gets cheered at times. Bret gets almost no reactions for anything he's doing, though, to be fair, him targeting Diesel's knees and legs doesn't really make for the most riveting action. The most famous part of this match is the finish, which see The Undertaker show up, climbing through the mat to pull Diesel away from the cage door as he's crawling out. It's a great visual and the saving grace of the match, though I'm sure Bret wasn't happy that he essentially "lost" the match because Taker's interference was the direct reason Diesel didn't escape. Overall, though, Bret and Diesel had plenty of time to put forth a great match that could've helped elevate and solidify Hart's reign while still delivering that finish, but they didn't. A disappointing match to me because I'm a huge Bret fan, but this was not good. (2/5)
If the main event had actually delivered something even close to the previous matches that Hart and Nash had put on, this might be one of the best In Your House events ever. The opener is good, Helmsley/Droese isn't too bad, and even Yoko/Bulldog can be excused for being a storyline-pushing angle more than a match. While I didn't love Owen/Shawn, there are plenty who do and the crowd is undeniably hot for it. But the dull World Championship match makes this show impossible to recommend. With a Kwang Rating of 2.4-out-of-5, this one lands in the territory of...
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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